2011 Mt. Rainier Fundraising Climb with RMI
Rainier Mountaineering Inc. (RMI) and To Return teamed up again for the 2nd annual Mt. Rainier fundraising climb, bringing a small group of climbers together to scale Mt. Rainier - a legendary mountaineering challenge widely considered the toughest endurance climb in the lower 48. After a day of training on the mountain's lower slopes the team, led by RMI Guide and To Return Board Member Linden Mallory, hit the trail on July 30th ascending to high camp at 10,000' under beautiful skies and warm weather.
Leaving camp just past midnight the following morning, the winds picked up as they climbed and by the time the sun started to rise the climbers were at 13,000' on Mt. Rainier's upper glaciers, enveloped in a windy cloud cap and quickly becoming covered in layers of ice and snow. Despite the conditions the team persevered to keep climbing the final 1,410' and reached the summit just before seven in the morning, celebrating on top for a few mintues before high tailing it back down the mountain to the more seasonal sunny and warmer summer weather below. It was a great climb, for many in the group their 3rd climb of Rainier but by no means a routine one. Special thanks to Ben, Dan F., Jim, Scott, Dan A., Gary, Stefan, Niten, Creighton, Zeb, Mike, Jeff, and Linden for their efforts on the climb.
Last year RMI raised over $11,000 for To Return's scholarships in Tanzania and helping fund 6 student scholarships and we are excited to finalize the 2011 donations in order to ensure the viability of those scholarships into the future.
